Participated · Seed · May 2018

Decent is an Austin, Texas-based insurance startup that creates affordable, ACA-compliant health plans tailored to self-employed professionals and small businesses. Its plans are built around convenient, free primary care via partnerships with Direct Primary Care (DPC) doctors and partners including AXA, HCA Healthcare, Medlion, Hint, and Costco Health Solutions. Members may select a local DPC physician for unlimited same-day appointments or opt for a virtual DPC doctor for extra savings. Led by CEO and cofounder Nick Soman, Decent initially served self-employed workers in Austin through the Texas Freelance Association and is expanding to serve small businesses, starting with technology companies. The company has raised more than $18m since launching two years ago and recently closed a $10m Series A. It intends to use the funds to expand throughout Texas and broaden offerings to individuals and employer groups. Decent was founded by Nick Soman, Michael Lapinski, and Richard Luck to address rising healthcare costs and gaps in coverage for part-time and gig workers. The company aims to align stakeholder incentives across healthcare to improve health outcomes, reduce costs, and put members at the center of care. Decent plans to use crypto and blockchain technology as part of its product to better serve members and advance real-world utility for crypto beyond speculation. The team has begun hiring developers, product managers, and designers in San Francisco and Seattle and has added hires such as Molly Moore, Suzanne Scharlock, Andy Skiba, and Sean Leonard. Decent is building an early community on Telegram to inform product development and accountability. Financially, the company announced an $8 million raise to fund the start of its journey and product development toward a planned 2019 launch that may include a token offering.

Participated · Series A · May 2015

Ripple offers blockchain-based enterprise solutions spanning global payments, custody, liquidity, and treasury management. It operates a multi-asset prime brokerage platform called Ripple Prime that provides financing and other services to institutional clients in traditional and digital markets. Founded in 2012 and based in San Francisco, Ripple positions itself as a one-stop shop for moving, storing, exchanging, and managing value. The company has secured a $200M debt facility from funds managed by Neuberger Specialty Finance to support growth of Ripple Prime and extend client financing. The financing is intended to increase Ripple's capacity and enhance its ability to serve new and existing institutional relationships. The deal reflects Ripple's focus on expanding institutional-facing products and access to capital.

Led · Seed · May 2015

Jetbay offers private itineraries that cover popular destinations like the Great Wall as well as more obscure venues, aiming to move beyond standard package tours. The service was launched by the founders of Wowo (also known as 55Tuan), one of China’s largest group-deals sites; Wowo held an initial public offering on Nasdaq last month. The platform uses data to identify where tourists want to go and provides click-to-book reservations, which the company says many China travel sites lack. Many of its suppliers are merchants that have already worked with Wowo, and new partners include international distributors for services such as airline bookings. Jetbay currently focuses on customers in Korea and Japan, the U.S., Southeast Asia, and Europe and plans to expand its venue network and customer relations. Its recent seed funding will be used for marketing, increasing the number of venues it works with, and improving customer relations.